Rearranging

This last week Johnny didn't have work. He had mentioned that he wanted to move around the house a little but never really got up to do it. Until, yesterday of course. Just shows a little procrastination but I won't tell. Believe it or not the living room alone took about 5 hours to rearrange. Having to take everything apart and moving it around then putting it back together again. We have it perfect now, but....the computer room is a mess. So we have to work on that now. Except we both work today and we might be tired when we get home. We will see!

I don't know if I had mentioned it before in another post but the dogs got into a fight again on Christmas Day nonetheless. We were planning on taking them with us to our Christmas destinations but after the fight we decided not too. Because of the incident we have decided to feed them separately and one goes in the kennel so she doesn't try and bother the other. Oh life with dogs can be interesting.

Johnny's brother, Jimmy should be in town next week. Can't wait to see him and his wife. I'm glad that they were able to make before Johnny heads to Iraq. Austin, Johnny's friend, should be coming into town pretty soon too. I'm glad Johnny will have some time to reconnect with them. I for see some snowboarding trips in the future.

The Snow is Falling

This storm is amazing. Portland is pretty bad. Johnny and I didn't think that it would snow here. We thought it would just rain. It isn't cold enough to stick to the roads. But it is snowing. I took a few pictures:

Here are the dogs trying to stay warm!

Getting Ready!

Just an update on how December is going...our heater was finally put in and started working again on Thursday. Just to find out on Saturday that one of the guys didn't set it up correctly. We had called back and they had to come out again this weekend. But we think it's finally fixed. We hope so!

We weren't planning alot when it came to Christmas presents this year because like everyone else we are tight on budget. But last night we decided what we will do for the little ones that are around. Hopefully it will all work out just fine. Johnny and I both have the next week off, maybe we can pretend we're on another vacation :)

Because of the storms that came throughout this past week I ended up not going to work at all. It was also nice to know that someone would actually be around the house when the people were coming to work on our house. I know I said I would put up pictures of the snow but I never picked up the camera. I have to work on that a little bit. Earlier this year I had my camera in my hand alot...then after Cancun I haven't had it around me. Must be tired of taking pictures.

Hope everyone is getting prepared for their Christmas traditions. I can't wait to go see the lights in Kiezer. They usually are spectacular.

Why the Ice?

I am the first on to admit I'm still a California driver. And as a California driver I hate ice. I might go to work today (I'm going to try to get out of it...it was only for 2 1/2 hours anyways) so I drove Johnny to work. He was just telling me how he was slipping and sliding on the road yesterday on the way home. I told myself I'd be careful. Well, I thought I was being careful. I knew some ice was coming up, I was going slow and turning the corner. I went into a panic but managed to get straight on the road and continue home.

Not to mention that the later forecast is freezing rain and snow. We all now what freezing rain will make...ICE! This is exciting weather but why oh why must I think I can drive in it. Needless to say I was unnerved the rest of the way home. If the sun could come out and dry up the roads it would be wonderful. Of course it's not going to happen.

No heat still. The stupid guy is chuckling under his breathe telling me he is working as fast and efficient as possible. Buddy that's not good enough for me. I am freezing in the night. I want my heater back. Space heaters are all right but the dogs and I still snuggle on the couch. None of us will move until it is up to at least 66 degrees in the house. Patience is definitely a virtue.

I definitely miss the Southern California weather at times. Nice and predictable. Nothing to extreme. I wonder if truckers get as nervous as I do when there's ice on the ground. Do you ever get comfortable enough to drive on the snow?? Well I'm off to go snuggle again. Just had to share my thoughts!

Snowing

They say it's suppose to snow today. I've been online and other people have said that they have snow. No luck with me. I wonder how they get snow and I don't. I thought I was a few feet higher in elevation than they are. Oh well.

I took a shower in my own house this morning. It felt great! It's chilly in the house though. I can't seem to get the house warmer than 69 degrees. I hope they finish with the furnace on Monday. My landlord called and offered his space heater. He said he was worried about the pipes bursting. If only they were worried about it earlier this week we might not have a problem. He offered to come over and unplug my washer machine. Is he serious...I didn't know people could be worried about the washer machine pipes bursting. Last year it snowed and was quite cold in the winter. I never thought about unplugging my washing machine. I think it will be fine. Of course I'm no expert so I'll have to talk to Johnny about it when he gets home today.

If I get snow in my front yard I'll post a picture. Until then, I hope everyone else is staying warm!

No Luck Yet!

So a week has passed and I still don't have heat. Although we are supposed to get a whole new water heater today and told that I'll have hot water. The heater....Not sure when I get that back yet and the weather man said it's suppose to snow...or at least get icy. Suffering just a little? Yes to say the least. Johnny and I are going to Holiday party with the National Guard tonight. Good food to look forward too. But it's going to be quite cold this weekend. Hopefully it warms up a little this next week. I sure hope we get heat back on on Monday. Any later and I think I'll have gone insane. I just feel real bad for the dogs because they have no heat when we're gone and I'm sure the temperature drops when the sun goes down for the day.

I haven't been posting because it's too cold inside my house. Hopefully I'll update this weekend. If not, maybe Monday. Dear Lord, please get this fixed soon!

Water Heater Problems

As I opened the gas bill this month I almost fainted. 450 dollars, definitely a problem with the water heater. We called our landlord right away and he came over the next day, Friday to take a look. The gas man came out and figured it was an electrical problem. Definitely something wrong when our water heats up to 200 degrees within a matter of moments. Somethings not regulating right.

Whens the electrical man coming out?? Not until Tuesday :( Guess will have to find a friend to barge in in on their shower to clean. Hopefully we'll be able to turn the water heater on shortly after. It is a little chilly in the house at the moment. And it's been years since we have used a space heater. Luckily we still had one in the garage. Mollie is even sitting close to the heater. We certainly don't have snow dogs, haha.

We are hoping that we will get a little grace from the gas company with our bill. And hopefully our landlord will help us with the rest of it. We hope for the best and wish for a fast return for the water heater. Luckily this didn't happen in January or February when it really is cold. Not that it isn't cold at the moment but it could be worse.

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend

Johnny and I ate well at his Aunt's house. The desserts were spectacular and not just because I made them. hehe. The enchildas were wonderful and the tacos looked great. I didn't get to them because the enchiladas were huge. We got to visit with his cousin for a bit before he had other Thanksgiving meals to go to. We found out that him and his long time girlfriend have set a date. I'm definetly happy for them. We also found out that his other cousin is pregnant. Hope for health during her pregnancy.

We met the newest addition to nieces too. We actually had to drive her and her sister up to Salem because their mom was working. At a month old we didn't have to do much for her. When she did finally wake up before her grandma arrived I had just given her a bottle.

Yesterday I decided to go shopping. Wasn't even going to try on Friday. I didn't need to go that bad. I got the dogs a couple of treats. They got into a fight over them too. I got scraped up so Johnny and I decided from now on they can have their treats in their crates. We aren't going to try and seperate them anymore. Luckily treat time is the only time we have issues with them.

This weekend has been lazy. Johnny and I have been playing our computer game. World of Warcraft. I set out my Cristmas decorations. I haven't put up the tree but with Daisy I'm not sure if I want to try this year. Maybe at two she will be a little more calm.

Hope everyone had a blast this holiday. And now we can all look forward to the next. Oh, we plan on going to pet santa day at the store and getting a picture of the dogs. I can't wait to see how that will turn out.

Haircut

I got a haircut. Not a little trim, a full on cut. Johnny says it's the shortest he's seen it. He says he doesn't like it but I think he is just not used to it. Yes it is a lot different than the long hair that I had but I feel great with the new do. I just need to go out and get a straightener so my hair isn't so puffy once I blow dry it. I have the diffuser on my hairdryer but I still get the puffiness. Silly words I'm using.

I am also excited this week because I got a new phone. I downloaded silly ring tones too. I also got Johnny's mom a free phone. She's eligible for an upgrade. I couldn't resist. My phone is going to be free too. I just need to mail in the rebate. haha!

Thanksgiving is going to be fun. We are going to Johnny's Aunts house. We aren't going to have the traditional turkey meal we are having Mexican. Enchiladas and tacos are on the meal. I am going to try and make mini taco bowls. You put tortillas in a muffin pan. Bake them up so they make a bowl shape and but your taco toppings in. I hope it turns out. And of course Johnny's going to make his infamous peanut butter pie. Too sweet for me but everyone really enjoys that pie.

November Birthdays

I know I should have called some people and said happy birthday but I forgot. Well I didn't forget to call my mother-in-law I just forgot to wish her a happy birthday. I did that to my niece too. I called her mother yesterday without a birthday wish. It's probably tacky to do it on my blog but I do want to recognize everyone's birthday at least.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY....
Jennifer 21st
Jordan 20th
Jaime 16th
Mollie (dog) 13th

HAPPY BIRTHDAY I love you girls. Hope your birthdays were special!

Back into Routine

It feels like it was just last week that we were in Cancun. We actually have been home for a week now. Johnny and I have gone back to our daily routines of work, basketball and playing with the dogs. Johnny has been asked to not have as much overtime at work. It was nice this morning spending a little more time with him before he went to work. He was also told that he will have the whole week of Christmas off. It would have been a wonderful treat if we were going down to California to visit my family. This year it's a little important that we stay here with his family as he will be off to Iraq in May.

I was working all last week inbetween preschools. It was busy and fun all at the same time. I was a little sad this morning to not get a phone call to come and work. But I do have laundry to do. Laundry, it's never done! I don't have a lot to say just thought I'd update on how we are doing a week after our trip.

Ohh yeah and Mollie is fine from her anal gland exploding. I'm sure I'll have more on that to update on everyone that's interested when she goes in for her follow up appointment. But that won't be until late next month or maybe even Jan.

We're Home

We miss Cancun already but being home again is nice too. Our dogs are definetly glad to be back too. Of course our trip wouldn't be the same with some minor set backs. My friend lost her paper saying why she was in a different country. She had to sit outside the office to get another one for almost an hour and a half. They finally figured out what to do and were able to fly back home. Then in Texas Johnny was taken back into the customs office. Finally it was all explained. We had the same issues last time we went to Cancun and nobody was willing to tell us anything. Supposedly there are other John Samuels in the world that are bad and Johnny has to pay the price of the name. But he got a stamp that is suppose to help him get through customs a whole lot quicker. I told him he has to take it with hime while in Iraq so he can get home and not have other issues.

I hope our dogs had a little fun while we were away. Although Daisy was up to her micheviousness while at our friends house. She ate their curtains while in her kennel. And maybe just had to much energy that the family couldn't handle. We are done with other people taking care of our dogs and I am going to the boarding kennel and looking into my dogs staying there next time. Professionals might be able to handle the high energy level that my dogs have.

The trip was well worth it. Getting relaxed before the holidays and what ever else is to come.

Cancun Tours

On Monday we went to the Zipline. My stomach has been turning inside since my dad suggested that we go when we come down. I was terrified at the first tower but after the fourth one it was fantastic. Although I recommend always to use the break because if not it jerks your legs horribly. They had water at tower 7 and it was definetly needed. And yet more water at the last tower. Thank goodness. With all the anxiety and then the heat I was losing a lot of water.

Monday night we went to the evening show. The Carribean dancing. Afterwards they ask four ladies to come on stage. Our friend Beth went up and she won the dance contest. They even suggested that she was Miss Moon Palace 2007. I don't know how that could be since this is her first time here but it was funny to suggest.

Today we went on the Tulum/Xpu-Ha Palace. I now realize why they have a Tulum Express tour. Wish my mom was a little more specific on which tour to take to Tulum. It wasn't that bad just a really long day. We left at 9 and didn't get back until 6. The ruins were fantastic. It was amazing water at the beach. Johnny and I got some good pictures but I forgot to charge the battery last night so we could have taken more. Silly me...

Tomorrow we go to the water park. Where Nina is going to swim with the dolphins. Hope she has fun. My mom suggests that I don't go because you never know when a dolphin might get wild again. I don't know. I just told my mom I wouldn't and it's a little excuse I am using. Johnny has figured out who to talk to about golf, there's a slim chance he's going to go though.

Only two days left. We're going to make them last and be enjoyable. I know I'm still here but I want to come back again soon. I doubt it but you never know. I wonder what the weather is like in Oregon. It was raining when we left. I hope it's not too bad when we get back. I'll put up some pics when we get home. I don't feel like downloading while here. But yet again why am I here typing this out. Well I don't want to forget any key points of the trip.

Cancun Adventures

You would think getting to Cancun would be easy. Not on Halloween. I now know that things can go wrong as if we were flying on a full moon. I'll have to check the moon. So we were suppose to get flying around 9 am but the radios weren't working. Luckily we were suppose to have a 3 hour layover in Texas. It just ended up being an hour and a half layover.

Getting into the hotel and in our rooms went as planned. We dropped our luggage in the room and ate. All I remember doing our first night is eating. On our second day we booked our tours and hung out at the pool. Our friends ended up drinking themselves to the porcelian bowl. At least three of them. I don't know how the other one made it through the night. Now they realized that they can go slow with the alchol. We'll see how the end of this night goes.

We went pool hopping today. It was nice just walking around and enjoying all the resorts here at moon palace. Johnny is drooling over the fact that he isn't going to play golf. It wouldn't be right to leave a someone behind. Although I am regretting the fact that Johnny isn't going because it's not fair that the other two guys wouldn't be able to go. I wish I could send Johnny by himself so he could just go and not worry about what other people aren't going to beable to do.

We have planned the zipline the wet and wild and tulum. hopefully I'll have some stories to share about those tours.

Cancun here we come!

Okay so it's 3 days away but I'm not sure if I'll blog again before we take off. I am getting so anxious that I woke up earlier than normal. But that's fine because it allows me some computer time. I know that Cancun will be a blast but I'm also a little concerned about Mollie. I had to take her in to the vet yesterday. This is gross but she had an anal gland erupt. Not a pretty site at all.

I guess I'm only concerned cause the dogs are like my children and I get sad when I have to leave them behind. And the fact that she'll be taking medicine and she might not be feeling well. I feel like I'm the best provider for her and I should be the one doing it. But I have to put my trust and faith into the dog sitter and know that my dogs will be safe and loved while I'm gone. I can be a worry wort sometimes and I should be happy that I have such a great friend that is willing to take care of my dogs while we're away.

Blissful and relaxing Cancun. I am ready for this trip. I can't wait to indulge on the beauty of Mexico. It's going to be great. I'm not really good at posting pictures but when I get back I'll try to remember to post a few. Hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween :)

Anticipation is Building

Cancun is only 10 days away. Hooray!! I can't wait to get out there and enjoy the sun one last week until the Spring. I have my suitcases down, all I need to do is find the time to actually pack. It's been a little busy.

For some reason Johnny decided to take part in a volunteer training with the National Guard. He left today and will be home on Sunday. Although I heard he is the only one coming back on Sunday, everyone else is coming home next Tuesday. I'm glad Johnny decided to come home on Sunday that way if I needed him home before the trip he is around. I only wonder how his daily job is dealing with him being on Drill all the time.

Daisy's last day of training is on Monday. She is getting the hang of looking at me for direction. I pretended to not have a leash on her and she looked at me the whole time. It was fantastic. Mollie usually doesn't have her leash on just for short trips and she is listening well too. I would have to say my dogs are very enjoyable when the listen to me.

I'm going to the Pumpkin Patch with the family that I babysit for. I didn't want to go alone. I guess I'll have to carve my pumpkin by myself though. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of my pumpkin. Last year mine and Johnny's pumpkins turned out really good. Maybe I'll wait for Johnny to get home and we can carve together. Guess I should get packing this week so we have time for that.

Cold,Cold,Cold

My goodness. I know the weather was just nice about two weeks ago and now it's 44 degrees when the sun goes down. It's not getting much warmer during the day either. Today they said it is suppose to be in the 50s. This is not okay. I was hoping for cold mornings and average days. Not cold,cold,cold.

But it's nice to know that in 3 weeks I'll be in 80 degree weather. Oh Cancun. I can't wait. Wish it was next week instead of 3 weeks from now. At least I have something to look forward too. Now it's off to work.

Work is Great!

So this week I think I will have put in at least 30 hours of work. That is in between 2 places but its hours none the less. I have meet a ton of new children and have had a blast with all of them. I can't wait to see how next week goes.

Daisy and I went to training on Monday night. She is doing better with sitting after heeling but I hope to work on it a little more. It's October 2 and the rain has started. It's officially fall in Oregon. I can't wait for the pumpkin patch. I get as excited about it as the kids do. I guess we will find out if Daisy likes pumpkin. I know Mollie liked it last year.

Johnny's brother, Jimmy is coming back to the states from the war zone this week. We are ever so grateful that he is coming back in one piece. Hopefully we will see him soon. He is stationed in North Carolina. Not sure when he is coming back to Oregon to visit.

Every single day Cancun gets closer I get a little more excited. We will be able to have a little more summer while we are there. A time to relax and enjoy the friendships that we have with the people that are going.

Been Busy

I am glad to announce that I haven't had time to get on the Internet a lot. There for I haven't had time to blog. Yes work is starting to come in for me. Yesterday I had to do First Aid and CPR training. I hate all day trainings that you have to take care of on the weekends. I want my weekends for myself not to take care of things for work. Oh well.

Cancun happens in about a month. Everyone is getting excited. I forgot to tie up some loose ends like how to get to the airport and wondering when it is too soon to start packing. I'm ready to pack this week. But with four more weeks to go I think I should wait.

I am a little concerned about Mollie and Daisy although I shouldn't be. I know Mollie won't cause as much trouble as she has with me for someone else. I debated on checking out a kennel boarding place but have thought against it. I'd rather a friend take care of my dogs than them being someplace they don't know. I just hope Mollie doesn't start attacking Daisy at someone else's house.

That's it for now. I can't think of anything else I needed to let everyone know. I'm just excited about working and having a trip to look forward too.

Dog Training

Daisy has started dog training. She did very well last night. Although I was suppose to get her to sit when we stop walking and she would just look at me. So we have to work on that. Our friend that is going to Cancun with us brought her pit bull Chance too. So Daisy and Chance tried playing when we would get them close to each other. They suggest that it's a good distraction and I thought it was a nuisance. The dogs had one thing on there mind and the owners had something else on their's. We will work together in the end though. I'm sure of it.

Mollie has started showing Daisy some dominance. I'm starting to wonder if another female in the mix was the right thing to do. Although Daisy was rescued and I couldn't really decide if she was going to be male or female. So now Johnny and I are faced with letting Mollie know we are leader and she is not.

It started a few weeks ago with little food aggression here and there. It got really bad when I decided to but yogurt in there food to try to get the farts less stinky. At that point I thought about getting their own food bowls. It might be the right choice to make now. Yesterday I got home and let the girls out of their kennels, Mollie came over to love on me. after about a minute Daisy came over to get some love and Mollie attacked her. I tried grabbing Daisy from Mollie but Mollie continued to attack. Then I grab Mollie to stop but Daisy kept attacking. I got Mollie into her kennel and Daisy ran into hers. I kept them there for about 20 minutes. I didn't really know it would be this bad.

Needless to say, We have some work to do about who is boss. Mollie is certainly not and now I have to work with her to get her to understand that.

On to a lighter and happier note: I go in tomorrow and fill out my paper work to start working for Early Interventions. She even suggested that I may be in a classroom tomorrow too. I'm so excited and can't wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Got the Job!

So I went in today for the Early Interventions job and I hands down got the job. There were two ladies interviewing me and one looked at the other and asked, "Where did you find her?" They were so excited that I had the experience that I have working with special needs children. So Monday I will go and fill out my w-4 form and start subbing.

It's just a subbing position but they said that it's possible to work a full week with them. Although it's Monday through Thursday. Not many classes on Friday. That's fine. I'm still trying to sub at the college preschool. Not working out the way I thought it would but I get a few hours here and there.

I'm so excited I've been on cloud-9 all day. I just want to get in the classroom already and learn more through the children on how they learn and go about there day. Hopefully I'll get some direction on how to get my Bachelor's degree too. I can't wait.

Job Interview

I have a job interview on Friday. It's a sub position but I'm really excited about it because its the direction I was hoping for. It's with Early Interventions and I was hoping I would be able to get my foot in the door to something more. With wanting to become a speech therapist it will help me figure out how to accomplish this.

Early Interventions helps preschool age children with their development through life. Speech therapy is a main issue. I'm hoping to get underneath the wing of someone that has been in my shoes and can help me with which direction I need to go through for schooling.

I am hoping for the best and I can't wait for my job interview. On a side note: I found out that I can use Johnny's GI Bill. Something about the rules changing or something. Johnny wants me to talk to a VA representive from Linn Benton college. I'm so glad that things have turned around from last week.

Camping Again

This time when we went camping it was at our usual spot. But we still did forget a thing or too. Like towels to take a shower and water or soda. We only took water for the dogs and alcohol. You know what we had our minds on.

The dogs did fine. Although Mollie is still taking cold medicine she did fine. I don't think she likes tromping in the dirt. Or maybe she was sick and uncomfortable. We love to camp so she better like it. Daisy lovved the dirt. She would be fine if we didn't wash her but I have some serious thoughts on that one. Johnny thought the dogs got in the way because of the yard leashes we brought and the fact that we had to tie them to the table. But if we had a two room tent, one for the dogs and one for us maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

Camping is an experience and you learn what to bring the more you go. With dogs now coming with us we have to think of things for them too. It was rather interesting and I'm sure I'll think of a few things for next year with the dogs. I don't want to leave them at home.

Wanting a Job

This stinks! I had thought that I would have had a job by now but have had now luck. I don't understand the school district here and why they don't give me a call. I have applied for almost every single job possible with no luck.

It does surprise me because the lady I babysit for was talking to her bosses about me and they said they could use me. But guess what...the job never posted. I am at a loss. Then Johnny's boss said they had a job for me and I'd be getting a call. So far no call. I am still a little hopeful for a job I applied to. The deadline for apps was the 9th so maybe a call today. I really want a phone call.

Sitting at home all day is a drag with nothing to do. I would probably be able to find something to do if I had the money to do it too. With no work there isn't extra money that would be able to not worry about it but it has been too long. I have a temporary job at the moment but they don't really call me either.

Sorry I'm going a little crazy and I'm about ready to start applying for fast food restaurants and department stores. Oh Well

Medicine for Mollie

So Johnny persisted and said I should call the vet for Mollie. I asked if I could get the same medicine they gave Daisy and they were really helpful in saying yes. So hopefully she'll get better now. The vet stresses the importance of not letting the dogs do any active play. It's just as bad as telling a two year old they can't play. It doesn't always work out.

I took them for a walk to the post office this morning thinking that it wouldn't be a big deal and then Johnny comes home and tells me all this. Oops! Hopefully it won't hurt the dogs too much. And active play hopefully doesn't mean don't take them camping cuz they're going. I'm not going to ask someone else to watch them just because they have a cold. They can tough it out right?

Johnny's dad, Jim, sent us a box of Johnny's old school work from elementary school. It was interesting to look through. Although we are going to throw it all away. I can't believe he kept all of his work. I couldn't imagine. Of course though he must have gotten the hint because I didn't see any other kids work. Hehe.

Dogs are doing better

So after a weekend of vet visits and a couple of days worth of medicine they seem to be doing better. Daisy is still on her medicine and looks a whole lot better. Molly seems to have a cough at the moment but I'm hoping it goes away. Maybe something to do with allergies.

We are going camping again this next weekend that I'm looking forward to. Hopefully someone calls about the jobs that I have applied for. I really need something permanent. I also need to find a counselor at Linn Benton that could help me with what classes to take to try to get to University of Oregon. I just need to think of a way to pay for this :)

Daisy is going to start obedience classes on the 15th. I'm looking forward to the training. She has some bad habits that I need to get rid of. Like getting on the counter tops and taking food. Not good at all. Johnny wants to take Mollie along for a refresher course. We'll see if he can keep it up for the 8 weeks of training that we do. If not it's just Daisy and I.

Daisy's Vet Visit

I know Mollie just went but Daisy didn't want to be left out. When Mollie got back from the vet Daisy was coughing. Wasn't to bad so I wasn't really worried about it. But on Monday morning she started sneezing green mucus. Of course it was a holiday so I couldn't take her in to the regular vet right away.

This morning it was really bad so I called in and they were able to see her. She had a respiratory infection. I came home with a cough suppressant and an antibiotic for her. So both of the dogs have their very own medicine.

I just hope that this doesn't happen every time. One dog at a time is fine. I thought it was funny that I took one in on a Friday then the other one in the next Tuesday. My oh My. It's just as if I had two children to take care of.

Camping

We went to Detroit Lake for the night on Sunday. We went with Johnny's co-worker and all her friends. They got a group campsite that had plenty of room for all of us. It rained most of the time we were there but it was kind of nice too. Sitting by the fire pit and getting rained on.

Mollie and Daisy enjoyed getting dirty too. We let Mollie stay off leash and she actually did really good. We haven't let her off leash since we got Daisy but was really impressed with her listening skills. Daisy stayed tethered to a tree. I don't feel comfortable with her staying with the pack. She does what she wants and doesn't really care what the other dogs are doing.

We all slept in the Xterra. Had to try it sometime. Daisy slept in the driver seat of the car. (The emergency brake was pushed in so we wouldn't roll anywhere). Molly slept in between and inside the sleeping bags with Johnny and I. Johnny's back isn't too good at the moment and happened to bother him while he was trying to sleep. I slept like a baby!

I enjoyed my time and it was very relaxing. Now we just need to find the time to go camping more often :)

Mollie's Vet Visit

So Mollie came out of the vet and has a thorn to prove it. They had found a thorn in her throat. Obviously it wasn't coming out on it's own so I'm glad I had her sedated and looked at a little more closely. She has pain medicine for the next couple of weeks too. Hopefully she will calm down and not try to take a thorny bush out.

Although Daisy is now hacking up too. So hopefully she gets whatever is lodged in her throat out before I have to take her to the vet too. Another bill wouldn't be too fun. At least let me pay off the first one.

Dogs will be Dogs :)

Not Kennel Cough

So Mollie doesn't have Kennel Cough so she can go play with anyone she wants. Some times I can be frantic for no reason. I had the doctor take her in the back to sedate her to look into her throat to see if there was any other signs of why Mollie was honking. She is still there at the moment but I'm going to go pick her up in a minute.

I'm thinking that it could have something to do with her allergies but we'll see. I'll update again at the end of the day.

Kennel Cough

Yesterday I had Jamie, my mother in law come over to let the dogs out to go potty so Johnny and I could go to the State Fair after work. She called me and said Mollie was "honking". When we got home later that night we heard the "honking". Poor dog, we have an appointment at 11:20 this morning to confirm that she has Kennel Cough. She must have gotten it from all the dogs at the Picnic this past weekend. But she did have a lot of fun.

Kennel Cough is just like the flu. No medicine needed. It just needs to run its course. We just have to wait to see what the doctor says.

Horray Johnny's Home

Wow, the dogs and I are excited to have Johnny back home. Although he still has to go in for the rest of the weekend, we get to see him in the evenings. For some reason they changed the distance that you live away from the armory from 50 to 60 miles, so Johnny doesn't get a free hotel for the weekend. When we went to pick him up everyone was excited to see a dog. So I'm glad Mollie and Daisy went down to help greet thier daddy home. We have a Family Picnic to go to on Sunday so I have to give the girls a bath. Even thier daddy said they were dirty. But it has been raining and easy to get dirty in the rain.

Favorite Author

My favorite author is Nicholas Sparks. I went onto his home page to see when a book is coming out. It's coming out September 30th. I can't wait. I love reading his novels, they are romantic and heartfullfilling. Oh and one of his books is coming out onto theaters on September 26th. Don't think I'll go see it. Johnny and I usually wait to watch them on DVD.

Speaking of Johnny, I'm going to go pick him up today. We both are really excited that he his back home. And the dogs will be too, they just don't know what's going on yet :)

Anticipation is Building

I talked with Johnny this afternoon. About nothing much. But just knowing that he is able to come home in 7 days is uplifting. I can't wait. The girls and I are going to go down to Springfield on Sunday. It's Family Picnic Day too. So we can't just pick him up and go home. We'll have to stay at least until 2, I'm assuming. Probably longer. But at least we will be together once again. I know, I'm so anxious and overwhelmed and it's only 3 weeks. He'll be gone longer soon enough but he gets to come home and hang out with us again. I've been bored and actually Johnny makes life fun.

Friends Coming Home

I know of two people that seem to be coming back to Lebanon here soon. My friend Amber who I've lost contact with for 3 years is coming home while her husband goes on deployment in September. It also helps having someone around to talk to who is going through the exact same thing that I am.

Also my friend Megan. Although I'm not sure when exactly she is coming home. I know she was suppose to come home this month but doesn't have the funds to move back. So hopefully by the winter she will be able to move. I know her family is waiting impatiently.

I was thinking how everyone is coming home to their families that maybe I made the wrong decision to not go home as well. I hope not. I figured it would be harder for me to move for a year and come back than stick it out here for a year without Johnny. Maybe I can make holiday trips home frequently when Johnny isn't home. I'm sure I'll make it through either way. It's hard to travel when you have two dogs to figure out where they would stay if you weren't able to take them anyways. Plus, I didn't want to burden my mom with my dogs when hers are in poor health.

I have to remind myself that I think to much and I believe in myself. I can make it a year here without my family or Johnny. It will work. I will make it work.

Johnny's Brigade on News

So Johnny's Brigade was on the news this past weekend talking about thier training for Iraq. I thought it was an interesting piece considering the fact that 99% of the time I have no clue what he does while he's gone. So here's the news feature and he said he was behind the camera.
http://www.katu.com/home/video/26819404.html?video=pop&t=a

Stubborn Dogs

I went to the dog park as usual. Except Daisy didn't want to get leashed to go home. She ran around and dodged me for 2 hours. It took a wonderful lady to come help and someone else's ham sandwich to entice Daisy to get onto her leash. It was 9:30 by the time I got home. She looked at me a couple of times like, "What are we still doing here?" But managed to never lay down and let me approach her to get leashed.

So what did I learn from this experience? Start bringing dog treats and rewarding her when she comes. And even dogs miss thier owners. Regardless if one is left behind to take care of them. I simply can't wait for Johnny to come home to me and the dogs. Although I hope to get the first hug and kiss!

Oh No!

So the past two weeks the gas company has been working on our street. Well they just knocked on my door and said that they are going to turn off my gas. What's connected to the gas...the water heater. No water...ugh. They said they'd turn it back on in the afternoon if I would be home. Actually I am working in the afternoon tomorrow. That means I'll have to call a number to get it back on. I hope there's nothing I have to do. I have no clue and yup Johnny's not here. I'll have to enlist the help of his mom probably. Too funny

had to share

So I keep signing myself up to all these different sites to connect to people and such. Well last night I went onto dogster.com and signed Mollie and Daisy up. They have thier own pages. It's like a myspace page for dogs. I even have them signed up to groups. Mollie's signed up for white boxer group and Daisy is signed up for deaf boxers and white boxer group. I know I maybe going a little crazy. That's what happens when I'm at home all day with nothing to do.

Over the Weekend

This weekend I watched Faith and her dog while her parents and sister were at the Oregon Jamboree. I have babysat before over night and was great when the parents came to pick up. This was my first weekend babysitting gig. Wow, although I wasn't sleep deprived I was busy trying to keep her busy to forget that she wasn't with mom and dad. That is a full time job altogether. I enjoyed my time with Faith and I hope her parents and sister enjoyed their time at the 3 day concert fiesta that they went too.

Johnny called me yesterday morning to say he was in Idaho. Hopefully he'll call sooner rather than later to update me on how he's doing. Once I here something I'll chime in here and let you all know.

Dogs R Sick

Oops...I think I got my dogs sick. I thought it wouldn't hurt but they have had bad poops and I'm afraid it isn't going to stop anytime soon. So I was making Johnny some peanut butter cookies and there was hardly any batter on the mixer things so I let the dogs lick it. My bad. I'm definetly paying for it now :(

Got a Window Fan

Wow, I didn't realize that even using a window fan is worthwhile. I always thought that the window A/C was worth it, maybe. I never thought about buying one just cuz they look tacky. But I saw my friend with a window fan and it didn't look to bad. So today Johnny and I went to WalMart and we bought a window fan. I simply fell in love with it :)

Summer Rain

Okay so it's just sprinkling but it feels great. A little break from the heat. I am enjoying it and the dogs aren't panting all day long either. A much needed break from the heat, although I don't mind heat but when you don't have an A/C to keep cool the rain is the next best thing.

Johnny's Annual Training

Johnny is going to AT this weekend and he is going for three weeks to Idaho. I didn't think they helped with rent or stuff like that but we do get to get help from BAQ. Sorry for the acronyms but if you don't know what they stand for you need to find someone that knows the military a little bit.
I'm still waiting on a job a little more permanent but I am hopeful that the schools will be calling closer to when they start back up. It's just waiting that stinks cause our cars are suffering a little bit. Faith is coming over for the weekend too so we'll see how that goes as well. Faith is a little girl that I've known for 3 years and she is Autistic. Her parents and sister are going to the Oregon Jamboree and we don't think that Faith would have a good time with all the noise. She just gets to help me drop Johnny off in Springfield at 7 in the morning.

Excited for Cancun

So my friends and I are going to Cancun in November. Yeah it's a little ways a way but that's no excuse to not beable to talk about it. So in the anticipation of the trip I found this template to remind me of where we'll all be in just a couple of months. Yippee!

Volcano's Game

A minor league baseball game was extremely fun. I didn't think it was going to be the same as a major league baseball game. (If anyone doesn't know I'm a diehart fan of the Angels.) I just like the atmosphere that the baseball game has. It was exciting and I got into a few of the games that they play inbetween the innings. I may have looked like a fool but I had fun doing it.

Looking for a place to keep family informed

As my first blog I'm testing this site and a few others. I want my family to beable to go online to see how everything is going. Plus I'm thinking ahead and want a place Johnny can just pop online and see me and his pups he has left behind to do his duty for our country. So will blogger be the place? Will see....